Mother. Atheist. Cynic. And all gluten free!

Tag Archives: baking

I’d stuck with the same brand of flour for so long that I’d forgotten what a difference it can make… So today’s lesson is, never again buy F. G. Roberts gluten free plain flour. It just doesn’t rise! The bread had adequate yeast and sugar, and the scones had baking powder; both should have risen, and they usually do when made with White Wings flour! Perhaps the most annoying thing is, I bought a 1kg bag of the stuff and still have half left. Maybe I’ll make pancakes!

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So, the top of this bread looks kind of funky. One day, I will remember to try putting water in the oven; my breads always do this and apparently a lack of steam might be why. However, it tastes delicious! So here it is:

Ingredients

1 tablespoon dried yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon gelatine

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon psyllium husk

1/2 teaspoon citric acid

300 grams plain gluten free flour

2 egg whites

Method

Put 1 cup of lukewarm water in a bowl. Add the yeast, sugar, gelatine, salt, and psyllium. Lightly whisk to mix. Cover, and leave for 15 minutes.

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In the last couple of weeks I’ve had a cold, conjunctivitis, an ear infection, and some bizarre unidentified rash all over my neck and shoulders. It’s all cleared up now except for the ear, which is irritating me no end! I’m pretty sure the infection is gone; I was on antibiotics for a week and the pain has gone. But I’m left with the feeling that somebody’s stuffed cotton wool into my ear and won’t let me take it out. It feels blocked, and sound is muffled. Sometimes I’m nearly sure the blockage is about to come out, and I shake my head around like a lunatic to dislodge it, but to no avail. I think I’ll have to go back to the doctor for this one.

If I were feeling particularly cruel, I could post a picture of my eye. Apparently rubbing at your eye too much – which one does when one has pinkeye – can burst blood vessels and you end up looking rather demonic. But it’s not pleasant to look upon, and so I shall not post it here. If you’re a sucker for punishment, you can click here to see it! (It got worse than that, but I didn’t take any more photos.)

In a quick aside, I should note that today I finally bought some “food rings” to use for making crumpets, muffins, and so on. Egg rings are tolerable only for so long; I needed something taller! Most of my creations rise up above the egg rings and spill out. Oh, and the lady who sold them to me, coincidentally, also can’t eat gluten! I’m finding us all over the place. I shouldn’t be surprised anymore, but I still half-expect a “What?” response when I say I can’t eat gluten. Instead I get, “Oh, me too!” or, “My sister/friend/mother/neighbour can’t either!” It is becoming more and more common, which is great because increased demand increases supply! It’s simultaneously becoming easier and cheaper to eat gluten free foods.

I’m going to try a new bread recipe either this afternoon or tomorrow. I’m pretty sure I bought everything I need for it today – I’ve never needed citric acid before, I wasn’t even sure where to get it, but it was easily found in the baking section of the supermarket. Anyway, if it turns out well, I’ll blog it.

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Back in my gluten-eating days, I loved a good sourdough bread. But I never considered making it, as it just seemed too hard. However, I’ve finally had a crack at it, and I’m really pleased with how well it’s turned out! Delicious. Here it is:

Ingredients

Starter:

2 tablespoons dried yeast

180 grams gluten free plain flour

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Bread:

1/2 cup of starter

200 grams gluten free plain flour

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried yeast

1 egg

Method

The starter needs to be made at least 48 hours before you bake the bread. Mix all starter ingredients with 1 cup of lukewarm water, and put aside. Stir twice daily.

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I’m standing at my kitchen bench, on the wrong side! My friend Chantell has come over to bake, as her oven is broken. My sole condition was that she bake gluten free goods, so I could nibble! So I’m watching – and sort of helping – as she makes yo-yos and muffins. The first batch of yo-yos flopped, but we’re trying again, and I think this recipe will work better! The muffins should be good; they’re cheese and caraway seed. I’d never heard of caraway before, but it smells awesome. Oh, they’re finished, they taste good too! Makes up for the failed yo-yos.